Pool cleaning systems for removing debris from the bottom of spas and pools are known in the art, as are inline systems for killing bacteria in spas and pools. The two systems operate independently with respect to one another. The pool cleaning system has a mobile suction apparatus for collecting debris that has fallen or blown into the pool. To remove debris from the pool, one moves a water intake head around the bottom of the pool to suck water and debris into the pool cleaner where the debris is removed from the water. The water is then returned to the pool. On the other hand, the bacteria killing system is generally a stationary device that circulates pool water through a dispersal valve containing a bacteria killing material such as chlorine or the like. The water passing through the bacteria killing system kills the bacteria that pass therethrough. The water is then returned to the pool. Thus, one system removes debris that falls into the water and requires a mobile intake head to reach all areas of the pool, while the other system kills harmful bacteria that are present in the water utilizing a stationary device that sucks water from one area of the pool. Both systems are necessary to maintain the water in a spa or pool in a sanitary condition; however, the systems are kept separate because the debris in the water could quickly clog the pathways through the bacteria killing material thus rendering the bacteria killing material ineffective. As the debris usually settles to the bottom of the pool the water containing debris does not usually enter the bacteria killing system thus avoiding the problem of clogging the bacteria killing system with debris.
In contrast to the prior art pool cleaning devices that only remove debris, or the bacteria killing systems that only kill bacteria, the present invention provides a pool cleaning device that not only cleans the pool of debris but simultaneously kills bacteria in a portion of the uncleaned water passing through the pool cleaning device by separating the stream of water passing therethrough into two streams. A first stream that carries the heavier debris through the housing and a second stream that is substantially free of debris that is directed through a bacteria killing material to thereby simultaneously kill bacteria and remove debris from water drawn for various locations in the pool.
The present invention has been found particularly useful in addressing the problem of inadequate water circulation through an offsite bacteria killing system. That is, because of the geometric configuration of certain pools, the pool may contain "dead spots" where water in the pool does not circulate through the bacteria killing system. Consequently, there may be pockets of pool water with higher bacteria concentrations then other parts of the pool simply because the water from one or more portions of the pool does not circulate through the bacteria killing system. Unfortunately, the presence or location of these dead regions are not easy to detect. The present invention addresses the problem of inadequate water circulation in dead pockets of water by providing a pool cleaner with an off-line bacteria killing system that kills bacteria in a portion of the water passing through the pool cleaning apparatus. With the present invention, which is generally moved throughout the bottom of the pool, the intake head comes into contact with the regions of the pool that contain dead pockets of water that would not normally circulate through the inline dispersal valve. The pool cleaning apparatus not only removes debris but it draws water from the dead pockets with a portion of the water from the dead pockets being sent through the pool cleaner off-line bacteria killing canister to kill bacteria therein. The remaining portion of the water carrying the debris is sent to a collector where the debris is removed from the water. Consequently, the use of the pool cleaner of the present invention simultaneously allows one to remove debris and to bring the bacteria killing chemicals or minerals to the water in different parts of the pool, rather than bringing the water in the pool to a stationary offsite bacteria killing site which would create dead spots.